Common names: Broadleaf Cattail, bullrush (refers to many such large wetland grasses), common bullrush, common cattail, cat-o’-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper’s reed, cumbungi

Typha latifolia

  • Forest/Garden Layer: Water/wetland
  • Cold hardiness zones: 3 – 10 (can withstand cold to -40° F)
  • Soil PH: 3.5 – 9.2 (Cattail is quite versatile with soils as it will grow in sandy, silty, loam or clay)1
  • Watering needs: High (can live completely immersed in water, sometimes even several feet deep).
  • Blooming Season: Mid – late summer
  • Harvest season: Spring for shoots, early summer for flower spikes, late summer for pollen, fall and winter for rhizomes.
  • Fruiting (flowering and seeding) age: Same year as planted if planting rhizome roots, or after 1 – 2 years if planting seed.
  • Pollination for Fruit: Cattails are self-fertile, but cattails tend to spread more by rhizomes than by seed, and fertilization is not needed for flowers; but only for seed.
  • Size at maturity: 8 – 9 feet tall and wide
  • Sun needs: Full sun or part shade
  • Preferred habitat: Marshy grasslands, pond edges, and fish habitats.
  • Average life span: 3 years on a single plant, but rhizomes and seed are constantly starting new plants.
  • Growth rate (vigor): Fast
  • Reproductive rate (and methods): High by rhizomes (roots), also by seed.2
  • Propagation Methods: Seed, direct sown in fall, or after cold stratification. Root division.
  • Good companion plants: Other wetland plants like watercress, duckweed (Lemnoideae Spp.), Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata).
  • Plant family: Typhaceae.
  • Taproot: No; has a fibrous root system.
  • Predators: Few; some pests and diseases are known but generally robust against threats.
  • Other common problems/solutions: Can become invasive; manage by controlling rhizome spread.

Caution:

Cattails are NOT gluten free. They a fair amount of natural gluten in their tubers, so they should be avoided by celiacs. The gluten in cattail is great for cooking things like flatbreads, such as tortillas, but if served to others, be sure to inform them in case they are celiac. Also, though normally healthy, safe, and nutritious to eat, cattail is a bio-accumulator that will take up heavy metals in polluted water, making them unsafe to eat. In other words, if you are planting these in chemically unsafe water, don’t eat them. For the same reason, never use chemical fertilize on cattail. They take up too much of the chemicals. But eating cattail from natural ponds, swamps and soil are fine.

Notes:

Cattail is an incredibly versatile plant, and a must have for any food forest containing a water feature. Not only are they edible (in many ways), but they have natural water-purifying tendencies that make them incredibly valuable for site rehabilitation. Just be aware that if they’re used for cleaning water of impurities (such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers), they do take those impurities into their stalks and roots, making their otherwise delicious edibility toxic. This is especially true with the roots and other below water/ground parts.3

Be aware that cattail can be very prolific, especially where there is plenty of water. This is good news for food foresters, since it means your food reproduces itself quickly. Some would call it invasive—but food never need be invasive. We suggest harvesting as often as it is necessary to maintain the structure of your food forest in the way you’d like it to be. If a plant grows maliciously well in your system, get really good at using it in many recipes as food. If it struggles, it’s okay to let it go until it does become prolific. Cattail is one of the wonderful plants in our system we will be harvesting multiple times per year. But it did take a few years to get to this point.

The roots are probably the most widely eaten part of cattail. They are boiled and eaten like potatoes. They can also be used to make a sweet syrup, because of their high sugar content. The roots can also be dried and then ground into a protein-rich flour. In early spring, the young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked like asparagus, and have a cucumber-like flavor. Once the shoots are longer than 18 inches, they are too mature to use this way. After this time, only the base of the stem is so used, with the skin peeled away. The immature flower can be eaten raw or cooked, and is said to taste like sweet corn. This cattail corn is often used in soup. The seed can also be eaten cooked or raw, though the fluffiness of the flower makes this challenging and sometimes impractical. But if you manage to get the seed, it can be eaten raw, ground into flour, or made into oil, and in these states are sometimes used to make cake or bread. Alone, it has a nutty flavor. The pollen of the flower is full of protein, and is sometimes mixed into flour for breads or cake. The flower that produces the pollen can also be eaten, and an easy way to harvest both is to take the flowerhead and tap it into a bucket so the pollen and some flowers fall free into the bucket, or wiping it with a brush to free the pollen.4

1https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/54297

2https://gardenbeast.com/typha-latifolia-guide/

3https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236868278_The_Bioaccumulation_Performance_of_Reeds_and_Cattails_in_a_Constructed_Treatment_Wetland_for_Removal_of_Heavy_Metals_in_Landfill_Leachate_Treatment_Etueffont_France

4https://pfaf.org/User/plant.aspx?LatinName=Typha+latifolia

Propagating Broadleaf Cattail

  1. Seeds:
    • Collect mature cattail seed heads during the fall when they have turned brown.
    • Remove the seeds from the seed heads by shaking or gently rubbing them.
    • Spread the seeds in a moist soil or shallow water in early spring or late fall.
    • Ensure that the seeds are in contact with moist soil or water and keep them consistently wet until they germinate.
    • This is how we started our cattail, and the reason it took a few years to become prolific. But its wonderfully effective.
  2. Rhizome Division:
    • This method involves dividing the rhizomes, which are underground stems, of established cattail plants.
    • In late fall or early spring, carefully dig up a mature cattail plant.
    • Cut the rhizome into sections, each with a healthy shoot or bud.
    • Replant the rhizome sections in a suitable wetland area, ensuring that the shoots are above the surface of the water or moist soil.
    • This (along with transplanting mature plants) is probably the easiest and most effective way of getting cattail into your system quickly. Since the rhizomes are usually already a year or two old, they can produce seed the same year they are planted, which will further provide for your system, and within a year, several new rhizomes will be extending out that can be propagated again.
  3. Transplanting Mature Plants:
    • You can also propagate cattails by transplanting mature plants from one location to another.
    • Choose a mature cattail plant with a healthy rhizome system.
    • Dig up the entire plant, including the rhizomes, and transplant it to the desired location with suitable soil and water conditions.
  4. Stolon Planting:
    • Some cattail species produce stolons, which are above-ground runners that can be used for propagation.
    • Locate cattail plants with stolons extending above the ground.
    • Cut the stolons into sections that have both a shoot and roots.
    • Plant these stolon sections in a wetland area with appropriate water and soil conditions.
  5. Container Planting:
    • Another method is to grow cattails in containers or pots in a controlled environment.
    • Fill a container with a mix of sand and loam soil.
    • Plant cattail seeds or rhizomes in the container and keep it consistently moist.
    • Place the container in a sunny location.
  6. Natural Spread:
    • Cattails can also propagate naturally through their rhizome system as they spread underground.
    • If you have established cattail plants in your wetland area, they will likely expand on their own over time.

Cattail Recipes

Cattail Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cattail tubers, cleaned, peeled, and grated
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup (or a vegetarian alternative like cream of mushroom)
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cups cornflakes, crushed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: 1/2 cup diced onion and 1 clove garlic, minced for added flavor

Instructions:

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Prepare Cattail Tubers: After cleaning and peeling the cattail tubers, grate them into a bowl. You may want to blanch them briefly in boiling water to soften them a bit, then drain well.
  3. Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the grated cattail tubers, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, half of the melted butter, shredded cheese, and green onions. If you’re using diced onion and garlic, sauté them first until soft and then add to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Assemble the Dish: Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish. In another bowl, mix the crushed cornflakes with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle this over the cattail mixture.
  5. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
  6. Serve: Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Cattail Hash Browns

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups grated cattail tubers (peeled and washed)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Cattail Tubers: After cleaning and peeling the cattail tubers, grate them into a bowl. To reduce bitterness, you might want to soak the grated tubers in cold water for about 30 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the excess water.
  2. Combine Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the grated cattail tubers, chopped onion, beaten egg, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder if using. Mix well until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. Heat the Oil: In a large skillet, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. You’ll need enough oil to shallow fry the hash browns, about 1/4 inch deep.
  4. Form and Fry Hash Browns: Take a spoonful of the mixture and form it into a patty. Carefully place it in the hot oil. Flatten it slightly with a spatula. Fry the hash browns for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy.
  5. Drain: Once cooked, remove the hash browns from the skillet and drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
  6. Serve: Serve the hash browns hot. They are great with a side of sour cream, ketchup, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Cattail French Fries

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 cups cattail tubers, cleaned and peeled
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional seasonings: garlic powder, paprika, or your favorite herbs

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Tubers: After cleaning and peeling the cattail tubers, cut them into fry-shaped sticks. Try to keep them uniform in size for even cooking.
  2. Soak the Tubers: To remove some of the starch and prevent them from sticking together, soak the cut tubers in cold water for about 30 minutes. Then, drain and pat them dry with a towel.
  3. Heat the Oil: Fill a deep fryer or a large, heavy-bottomed pot with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to around 350°F (175°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the oil by dropping a small piece of tuber in it. If it sizzles and rises to the surface, the oil is ready.
  4. Fry in Batches: Fry the cattail tubers in batches to avoid overcrowding, which can lower the oil temperature and lead to soggy fries. Fry them for about 3-5 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
  5. Drain and Season: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fries to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. While they’re still hot, season them with salt and any additional seasonings you like.
  6. Serve: Serve the cattail tuber fries hot, with your favorite dipping sauce, like ketchup, mayonnaise, or a spicy aioli.

Cattail Fritters

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cattail shoots, finely chopped (use the tender inner parts)
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a spicy kick

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Cattail Shoots: Rinse the cattail shoots thoroughly and chop them finely. Ensure you’re using the tender inner parts, as they are the most palatable.
  2. Make the Batter: In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper (add cayenne pepper here if using). Mix well.
  3. Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat the egg and mix it with the milk. Gradually add this to the dry ingredients, stirring until a smooth batter is formed.
  4. Add Cattail and Green Onions: Fold in the chopped cattail shoots and green onions into the batter.
  5. Heat the Oil: In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. You’ll need enough oil to shallow fry the fritters, about 1/2 inch deep.
  6. Fry the Fritters: Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on each side, which should take about 2-3 minutes per side.
  7. Drain and Serve: Once fried, remove the fritters and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve hot.

Cattail and Wild Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup tender cattail shoots, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts (like walnuts or almonds) for added texture

Instructions:

  1. Cook the Wild Rice: In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the wild rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Sauté Vegetables: While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add Cattail Shoots: Stir in the cattail shoots and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until they are tender.
  4. Combine with Rice: Once the wild rice is cooked, add it to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in the dried thyme, dried cranberries or raisins, and nuts if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve: Transfer the pilaf to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley.

This recipe is vegetarian.